Drawing frame, made by Platt Brothers & Co. Ltd, Oldham, 1901, and used at Brooklands Mill, Leigh.

The fast-moving rollers of the drawing frame combined six pieces of cotton into one, evening out the fibres, before spinning could happen. Workers had to multitask, feeding the machines with cotton as well as cleaning and oiling the parts.

This drawing frame has a mechnical 'knock off' system. If the length of cotton broke, the machine automatically stopped, so it could be fixed by a supervisor.